Orioles blow 4-run lead but beat Red Sox 5-4

DAVID GINSBURG,AP Sports Writer

Thursday

Apr 28, 2011 at 3:15 AM

BALTIMORE (AP) — Derrick Lee had three hits and scored the tiebreaking run on an eighth-inning single by Vladimir Guerrero, giving the Baltimore Orioles a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

After blowing a 4-0 lead in the top of the eighth, Baltimore regained the lead in the bottom half against Daniel Bard (0-3). Nick Markakis singled and took second on a single by Lee. Both moved up on a passed ball by Jason Varitek, and with Guerrero at the plate, Markakis was thrown out trying to score on a pitch that eluded Varitek.

Guerrero then bounced an RBI single up the middle to bring in Lee from third base.

Koji Uehara (1-0) got the victory despite giving up a three-run homer to Kevin Youkilis, and Kevin Gregg worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

By winning the first two games of the three-game set, the Orioles captured their first series since taking two of three against Detroit on April 4-7. Baltimore has won 11 of 18 against the Red Sox after going 3-25 from July 12, 2008 through April 24, 2010.

Boston made a game of it in the eighth. After Jacoby Ellsbury singled and Dustin Pedroia walked against Jeremy Accardo, Adrian Gonzalez hit an RBI single off Clay Rapada. Uehara entered, and Youkilis hit a 2-1 pitch into the left-field seats to tie it.

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six in six shutout innings. He left with a 4-0 lead, but the Baltimore bullpen ruined his bid to end a seven-game losing streak against Boston.

Guthrie outpitched Josh Beckett, who allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. The right-hander permitted only three earned runs in his previous three starts and surrendered only one homer in 31 innings this season before Luke Scott and Adam Jones connected in succession in the fourth.

Both starters were in control until Lee hit a popup to right field with one out in the fourth. As a result of an apparent miscommunication, the ball landed between second baseman Pedroia and Ellsbury, the center fielder.

One out later, Scott hit a 1-0 pitch onto Eutaw Street beyond the 25-foot scoreboard in right. Jones followed with his fifth home run, a drive to left that was touched by a fan in the front row of the stands before Carl Crawford could try to catch it.

A sacrifice fly by Brian Roberts made it 4-0 in the fifth.

Ellsbury opened the game with a single and took third on a one-out double by Adrian Gonzalez. Guthrie then struck out Youkilis and retired David Ortiz on a popup.

Crawford bounced into a rare double play to end the second inning for Boston. It was the first time in 87 at-bats this year that he hit into a DP; last season he hit into two double plays in 600 official at-bats with Tampa Bay.

In the fourth, Ortiz tried to score from second on a two-out single to right by Jed Lowrie. Markakis unleashed a throw that hit catcher Matt Wieters on the fly, and Ortiz was tagged out at the end of an awkward slide.

NOTES: Jon Lester, who's 13-0 lifetime against Baltimore, will pitch for Boston on Thursday in the series finale. ... In the 20-year history of Camden Yards, Scott has hit five of the 53 home runs that have landed on Eutaw Street. This one traveled an estimated 426 feet. ... Boston has gone seven straight games without an error. ... Roberts' 12-game hitting streak ended.

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